Saturday, December 10, 2011

The interview

The euphoria of having qualified the first phase- the written aptitude test had yet not sunk, and there I was ,on the threshold of facing my first ever on -campus technical interview.

The waiting room was full of chirping peers,some murmuring about expected questions,some drowning over self-notes,a few even pouring over books….And a midst all , I was occupying the corner bench, slightly separated from the whole bunch but not far away to escape the constant humming of recitations …a sort of an echoing reverberation ….the technical terms being learnt by heart, repeatedly revised (even the articles were not spared) and far away, ..the sound of a bloke explaining ‘normalization concepts of databases’ to his peers….soundingan astute philosopher !

It seemed a tensed room, so much so that I had deliberately distanced myself to find a quite corner. My bag was full of books,I had packed in hoping for some last-minute study( I was no different to my peers ! ) but I wasn't studying…I was day-dreaming ! dreaming about the last interview I had undergone.No. 29,No. 29, interviewee No 29 !!The last call brought me to senses ! and amid strange glances from my peers,I picked my resume and made my away to the interview room.

My heart was throbbing! And I remember desperately saying to myself –Can I ..Can I postpone my turn!

Somehow ..I made it to the door,and I entered !

“Heyy,he looks quite young…Is he an interviewer?..He looks a fellow

final –year student ! “ –was my first reaction.

Interviewer: Take a seat Rohit !

And I obliged,seating myself in the comfortable cushioned-chair…and oops,

I had forgotten the greetings ! and before I could utter something ,came the first question ?Do you know java?

Ewww…..I was expecting an introductory question…perhaps something like ‘tell me about yourself ?’…Is he in a hurry?Has he already selected as many as he wants,and is just completing the formality?- strange pessimism filled my inside in an otherwise optimistic mind !

And I had a question to answer- I knew java, at best at intermediately level!

ME : I know the basics sir ! I like java-programming but my core area of interest is database administration and I have been keenly pursuing this ,to the extent of getting professionally certified !

( I emphasized on the stress word ‘certified’.. ..in an attempt to create an impression over him and sway his attention away from devilish java)

He looked bemused- ( as if he knew nothing of ‘ databases ‘) and then came the heart-breaking reply.

He- But we need front-end programmers !We need programming skills!

Those words sent me into a tizzy ! I have lost it.

My helpless situation of the previous interview ,flashbacked ! and he asked again..

He- Can u program ?

It was desperate times.I knew it was drifting away and I also knew that I can ill-afford screwing this one too...All of a sudden, nervousness had transformed into desperateness.I still recollect those feelings- Not Again !I can’t let this slip.

ME – Sir ,my interest is databases but I am on a learning curve in the field of java technology.I’m aware of programming skills and concepts of languages such as C and I know those concepts can be applied to java as well…..blah..blah..blah…I was stammering ,yet talking-sort of comparing java ,with all other programming languages of the world!

And the sight of him ,nodding his head intermittently ,egged me to keep blabbering …and he said

He – Ok ,Rohit ?are u ready to relocate to another city?

My happiness was beyond all bounds.I promptly said YES and was waiting to hear the magical words of myself getting selected.But then he said-

He- Fine Rohit,It was pleasure interacting with you.

And he offered a handshake .

I was puzzled! It more seemed a sugar-coated rejection.( I had heard,that if you are selected,they let u know of the same,then and there ! )

That was it…The fear, the anxiety ! everything had vanished and I decided to act with supreme confidence (that could somehow tilt the decision in my favour)

Confidently I shook his hands and stated the last few words-

Sir , It was a very nice learning experience .I may have stuttered but I’m a lot better than this .(ewww…Was I spoiling my chances before the decision?)

I made the exit and without any further thought headed straight home.I was immune to any emotions thereafter.And the next day,hearing the result was out on net-I switched on my lappy,navigated straight to the site,downloaded the document(it was a excel spreadsheet) ,opened it and without feeling the need to scroll down,pressed control+f - typed in my full name and hit the last 'enter' keystroke.

Yes it was there ,highlighted in yellow but I knew it was a common name ! I reconfirmed with the serial id( there could be same names too!) and when the last numeral matched ! I sank to my bed ….more in relief than joy !

CONGRATS, Rohit :) Gimme a hi-five!! :D You have nicely explained the anxiety of interview and 'before-result' situation. I can feel the same reading those lines. You are great writer and getting greater by every post. :) God bless :)

Congratulations.. I will be having interviews and presentations in future and I am already nervous whenever I think of it. Haven't been through the experience but still could picture those situations, tensed before and during interview and joy of achieving a goal. Well written :)